Thursday, July 17, 2014

Is it just me, or is this the most insane summer ever? Seriously. Between camps and tours and conferences and playing hostess to a stream of visitors staying at my house, I think I'm about to explode. Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Among the chaos, though, a lot of great things have been happening for me and REMAKE. My publisher has done some amazing things to bring my book exposure, and a lot of cool stuff is in the works that I hope to share soon. In the meantime, I'm doing my best to enjoy the journey and remain grateful that my publishing dream is coming true. Less than three months until release...eep!

This email ad was sent out last week from Publishers Weekly--
resulting in one of PW's highest click-through rates of all time. So cool!

After meeting with my publisher earlier this week in which they key phrase was "deep breaths, deep breaths," the next several months of my life have gone from crazy to CRAZY. So apologies if I can't get to everyone's posts or have to pass on critiques or helping with reveals and such. I love supporting my fellow writers, but a little break shouldn't hurt, right?

I did promise an ARC giveaway, so here's my first attempt at one of those Rafflecopter thingys. I hope it works. :)

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Fifteen-year-old Piper Crenshaw knows her house is strange. It’s never needed repairs since it was built in the 1800s, and the lights flicker in response to things she says. As if those things aren’t creepy enough, it’s also the place where her mother committed murder.

To prove she’s not afraid of where she lives, Piper opens a forbidden door, which hides a staircase that leads to the ceiling. That’s when the flashbacks of the original residents from 1875 start, including a love affair between two young servants. Each vision pulls Piper deeper into not only their story, but also her house. Piper confides in her best friend, Todd, whom she's gradually falling for, but even he doesn't believe her. At least, not until her house gets axed during a prank, and the act injures Piper instead, cutting a gash the size of Texas into her stomach.

Piper realizes her house isn’t haunted—it’s alive. To sever her link to it, she must unravel the clues in the flashbacks and uncover the truth about her mother’s crime, before she becomes part of her house for good.

Doesn't it sound wonderfully creepy? You can find it now on GOODREADS.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cortney Pearson is a book nerd who studied literature at BYU-Idaho, a music nerd who plays clarinet in her local community orchestra, and a writing nerd who creates books for young adults. She lives with her husband and three sons in a small Idaho farm town.

As writers we are constantly gathering inspiration (whether we know it or not). An overheard conversation, watching people interact, teenagers laughing together, hearing others tell stories. I believe we subconsciously refer to our life experiences as we write and create stories. We have to. In order to generate realistic emotion and detail that readers can relate to, we have to have some kind of jumping-off-point to base them on. I'd like to share just a few things that sparked ideas for me as I created the world of PHOBIC, a world which is based on the ethereal aspect of seemingly ordinary places.

Inspiration #1
My great aunt lived alone in this fantastic old house built by her father, my great-great grandfather. And it felt like stepping back through time every time I walked through the door. BUT. Right off from her back door--the entrance we always used--was a staircase. It wasn't long. It wasn't even hidden like those in my story. But this staircase led to Aunt Vay's basement with its concrete floor and old cast iron stove and that pair of metal roller skates that always sat alone on a shelf. I hated going in that basement, especially by myself.

Looking back at these pictures now I wonder why I'd been so scared, but as a kid that basement was terrifying!

The basement in PHOBIC plays a huge part in the mystery of the house Piper lives in. It's a place she's been forbidden from entering, but this time she's determined to find out why.

Inspiration #2
Another instance happened at Aunt Vay's when my mom, sister, and I had pulled in late at night to sleep after traveling from California to Utah all day long. We were tired. It was cold and windy outside. And my mom couldn't find her key to the back door. We tried that knob several times and then as I went to reach for the knob again, the door opened. All on its own. OPENED. My mom, sister, and I all exchanged looks and when I checked the knob (on the now open door), it was still locked. True story! So it prompted the opening and this scene in PHOBIC:

My best friend Todd’s red pickup appears at the curb, spewing exhaust like the truck has a cigarette up its backside. I jerk up. My pulse kicks at the sight of him. That’s been happening a lot more lately, my insides flaring up and doing some sort of spastic dance whenever I catch sight of his alluring smile and dark curls.
Leaving the second Pop-Tart on the table, I stuff my phone in my pocket and snatch up my backpack and clarinet case. I dart past the round, velvet-topped table in the wide hallway to the front door.
I reach for the knob. It won’t turn.
Heart pounding, I try again. One way, then the other. Chick. Chick. The lock mechanism is vertical. The door isn’t locked.
“Not now,” I say under my breath. “Please not now.”
The hairs at my nape skulk up one by one until they all stand on end. My wrist flicks, and the obstinate knob makes the same chick chick sounds. The eerie feeling spreads down the length of my arm, making the knob cold under my touch. What is going on? I’m used to my house doing strange things, but why won’t it let me out?

Inspiration #3
The Winchester Mansion in California has also been intriguing to me, especially the staircase that leads to the ceiling. This whole house is completely creepy, but especially this:

Piper's house also has a hidden staircase similar to this one. Her discovery of it knocks her sense of reality way off course, and she begins seeing flashbacks of the original residents of house. Which leads to...
Inspiration #4
I LOVE romances, along with Victorian/Regency-era stories. So my final inspiration for the story--particularly the flashbacks that Piper has to the past--is:

Downton Abbey (I know it takes place after the two eras above-mentioned. But still, inspiration.) It was after watching the first few episodes that my two star-crossed servants in love sprang into my head.
There were many other sources of inspiration as well, but these are the main ones. What about for you? What inspires you when you write?

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

I've experienced a lot of firsts in the last few weeks (taught at a writing conference, received ARCs of my book, signed my first novel, attended ALA, etc.) but none was more exciting than the cover reveal of my book! It was a little different than the norm as it wasn't seen first online, but rather on the front of last week's issue of Publishers Weekly!

Me at ALA holding a copy of PW...
talk about surreal.

The Publishers Weekly booth gave out
copies of the issue to attendees. I saw my
cover everywhere!

Publishers Weekly's Twitter banner last week...what a surprise!

I'm still a little in shock and of course super thrilled for that kind of exposure. At the conference I also signed galleys of my book and met amazing librarians and book lovers. I talked with several author friends and made several new ones, got to hang out with my editor and fellow Shadow Mountain authors, and my husband came along for a fun weekend away in Vegas (and was a sport for carrying all of my spoils...books are heavy, lol) It was an amazing experience!

But now I get to officially share the cover with all of you...

Isn't it beautiful? I love love love it so much! And here's what REMAKE is about:

Imagine a future without family...

Nine is the ninth female born in her batch of ten females and ten males. By design, her life in Freedom Province is without complications or consequences. However, such freedom comes with a price. The Prime Maker is determined to keep that price a secret from the new batches of citizens that are born, nurtured, and raised androgynously.But Nine isn't like every other batcher. She harbors indecision and worries about her upcoming Remake Day--her seventeenth birthday, the age when batchers fly to the Remake facility and have the freedom to choose who and what they'll be.When Nine discovers the truth about life outside of Freedom Province, including the secret plan of the Prime Maker, she is pulled between two worlds and two lives. Her decisions will test her courage, her heart, and her beliefs. Who can she trust? Who does she love? And most importantly, who will she decide to be?And here's a bit about me:

Ilima Todd was born and raised on the north shore of Oahu and currently resides in the Rocky Mountains. She never wanted to be a writer even though she loves books and reading. She earned a degree in physics instead. But the characters in her head refused to be ignored, and now she spends her time writing science fiction for teens. When she is not writing, Ilima loves to spend time with her husband and four children.
REMAKE comes out on October 14th, and you can find it now on:

Due to the nature of my reveal, I haven't been able to organize a formal cover reveal among bloggers, but please feel free to spread the news wherever you are online (FB, Twitter, blogs, etc.). I'd love any help I can get. And I'll be back in a couple of weeks with an ARC giveaway!